Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Corrections union is sounding the alarm on prison capacity.  The Ministry of Justice projects the prison population will increase 36 percent by 2035 to more than 14,000 people. The Corrections Association of New Zealand says facilities are already at 95 percent capacity.  National President Floyd du Plessis says he predicts it will be completely full within 18 months.  He says some projects will slightly help - but more serious action needs to be taken now.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to new data from the United Nations, fertility rates are on the decline and families are getting smaller. The cost of living, job insecurity and housing costs are among the main factors preventing families from having as many kids as they would have wanted, new reports claim. Massey University sociologist Paul Spoonley says women are also getting more educated and have more of a role in the workforce - and that's another factor. "Women are having children much later in life - and so as we see that first child, the age of the woman for the first child is creeping up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 12 June 2025, the future of Aukus has been thrown into doubt. Dr Michael Fullilove from the respected Lowy Institute in Australia tells Heather there's a lot at stake with almost $400 billion dollars worth of submarines on order. Kainga Ora boss Matt Crockett gets a grilling from Heather over the cost of the new wool carpets the state housing provider has committed to. Households throw away $1500 worth of food every year, and the staggering amount of money we could save if we didn't send so much to landfill. The UN says our fertility rates have reached crisis level, and Heather has a theory on why women don't have more kids. Plus, Heather lays out the case for why Reserve Bank chair Neil Quigley should quit. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don't enjoy saying what I'm about to say because personally I quite like Neil Quigley, but I think that he needs to quit as the chair of the Reserve Bank - simply because I do not think that we can ever trust a single word that comes out of that man's mouth again as the chair. He has been busted telling not just one, but quite a lot of fibs about Adrian Orr's resignation. So for a start, on the day that Adrian Orr quit, you'll recall Neil Quigley was the one who held the press conference. At the time he said Adrian's resignation was a personal decision. That is clearly not true. Adrian, we now find out, packed a sad, and quit over funding.  Neil Quigley also said that there was nothing that the Government had said in the days before that that caused Adrian to quit. Not true. Adrian and Nicola, and actually Neil himself, had a meeting about the funding 9 days before the resignation. Neil Quigley was also asked whether there were any policy conduct or performance issues which are at the centre of this resignation. He said there are no issues of that type that are behind this resignation. Once again, not true. He was asked what happened because: "Reserve Bank governors don't just up and resign" and he said: "There is a time when you think having achieved what you wanted to achieve, that's enough". Once again, not true. That's not why Adrian quit. Adrian quit because he packed a tantrum because he didn't get enough money. Now, I do not know why Neil Quigley decided that he needed to tell porkies in order to defend Adrian Orr. I mean, I get the feeling that he has spent a great deal of his time, unfortunately for him, trying to manage the tantrums of our former toddler governor, and perhaps he just got into a little bit of a pattern of butt covering for the guy. He has suggested that he was constrained in what he could say by Orr's exit agreement. But in that case, you simply say, look, I can't say much because it's an employment agreement. And I think we all will understand that because we're all employees or employers, and we're all constrained by the same law, so we get it. But he didn't choose to do that, did he? He chose to stand there and fib to us, and that means that next time he's up answering some tough questions, I don't know if we're going to trust him, are we? Already, unfortunately for Neil, he's got quite a big black mark against him. He was part of the money printing team with Adrian Orr that stuffed up the economy, and some already think that that is enough reason to call for him to quit. Never mind the fact that he has now been busted telling straight out porkies in public. So if I was Neil Quigley, he's got two options. He can hang in there and see how it goes, or he can quit while he's still ahead - and I would do the latter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's skyrocketing water charges on the way for Wellingtonians in coming years.  An average Wellington household's water bill tops $2500 a year.   Indicative council figures suggest by 2033, that'll climb to $7,000 in a new billing system with water separate from other rates.  Councillor Tim Brown says it covers stormwater, sewerage, and drinking water. "It has approximately doubled in about the last five years - so it was closer to where Auckland's were five years ago. And it's quite hard to actually fully understand why our network is in such bad condition." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump administration is unlikely to scrap its defence pact with the UK and Australia. The Pentagon says it's looking over the deal, to ensure it meets the President's 'America First' agenda.   Australia expects to acquire nuclear-submarines, under the pact. Australia's Lowy Institute executive director, Michael Fullilove says it's all speculative at this stage. "It's not that unusual for new Governments to review deals that have been made by their predecessors - I note that all of the most senior people around President Trump are in favour of AUKUS." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kainga Ora's staying tight-lipped on how much it'll cost to carpet state homes in Kiwi wool. The Government's mandating using woollen fibres in new homes where appropriate from next month - to support the industry. The same will apply to new state buildings like schools and public service offices.  Kainga Ora chief executive Matt Crockett says he can't reveal the exact price because of of commercial sensitivities, but it's not expensive. "Basically, it's cost-neutral - but wool's a great product and we were really pleased with the pricing that came back." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the Reserve Bank should have given the reasons behind Governor Adrian Orr's abrupt departure - sooner. It released documents yesterday showing Orr resigned over Government funding being well below the Budget allocation he sought. Nicola Willis criticised the central bank's delay in outlining the reasons. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pentagon is launching a fresh review of the AUKUS security pact with Australia and the UK. A US defence official says the review aims to ensure the pact meets Donald Trump's 'America First' agenda. Australia is relying on the agreement to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says there's growing calls among Australians for the nation to back out of AUKUS - but Australia needs the alliance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final of a controversial 'run it straight' event offering $200,000 to the winner has been shifted from Auckland to the Middle East amid calls for it to be banned. Australian-based Runit Championship League held two trial events at Trusts Arena last month - but the West Auckland venue pulled out of hosting the final, citing safety concerns. Now, the organisation has announced the final will be held in Dubai this month, with the date yet to be confirmed. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.